*[http://adopt.smokymountaingreatdanerescue.org/ Smoky Mountain Great Dane Rescue], run by my brother and his wife, fosters, adopts, and advocates for Great Danes in the Southeastern US.

*[http://adopt.smokymountaingreatdanerescue.org/ Smoky Mountain Great Dane Rescue], run by my brother and his wife, fosters, adopts, and advocates for Great Danes in the Southeastern US.

*[http://ncse.com/ National Center for Science Education] is an organization that advocates for the inclusion of evolution and exclusion of nonscientific "origins" theories in public school science curricula.

*[http://ncse.com/ National Center for Science Education] is an organization that advocates for the inclusion of evolution and exclusion of nonscientific "origins" theories in public school science curricula.

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*[http://www.heifer.org/ Heifer International] is an organization that helps people around the world break cycles of poverty through means that bolster their communities and families.

Contact Info

I am currently an NIH NRSA postdoc in the Lively lab at Indiana University.

Please email me if you would like a full version of my CV.

Education

2009, PhD, University of Oregon

2004, BS, Indiana University

Research interests

I am broadly interested in factors that either facilitate or constrain adaptive evolution. Currently I am exploring the roles that mating systems and coevolutionary dynamics play in adaptive evolution.

I utilize experimental evolution to directly test hypotheses and determine the manner in which evolution proceeds by characterizing both the phenotypic and genotypic changes that occur in evolving populations.

MATING SYSTEM EVOLUTION

Mating systems dictate the manner in which genes are transmitted from parent to offspring, and therefore determine the level of genetic variation within and between lineages of a population. Mating systems are a key component of reproduction, and reproduction is a basic requirement in biology. Despite this ubiquitous importance, many different mating systems exist in nature. I am interested in the selective pressures that favor specific mating systems, the genetic consequences of different mating systems, and their overall role in shaping the evolutionary trajectory of a population and/or lineage over time.

I primarily work with the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to study mating systems because this species utilizes two different mating strategies, outcrossing and self-fertilization.

COEVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS

Coevolution accounts for a significant proportion of the evolutionary change that occurs in nature. This is quite reasonable because most, if not all, species live as members of communities composed of many species. As a result of interactions between members in a community, many species utilize not only their own genome, but also the genome of other species to facilitate survival and reproduction in context of mutualistic interactions. Conversely, antagonistic interactions between species are capable of driving rapid evolutionary change between interacting species. Thus intergenomic interactions, resulting from both mutualistic and antagonistic coevolution, play a major role in shaping the evolutionary trajectory of many species. I am interested in learning how coevolutionary interactions affect each interacting species, and also understanding the role that mating systems play in determining the outcome of coevolutionary interactions.

I am working with C. elegans and the bacterial pathogen, Serratia marcescens, to study antagonistic coevolution. I am also working with the nematode Steinernema carpocapsae and its bacterial symbiont, Xenorhabdus nematophila, to study mutualistic coevolution.

Science and Faith

I am an evolutionary biologist and a follower of Jesus. I chose evolutionary biology (and specifically experimental evolution) as a field of study to get a firsthand look at the process of evolution as part of a personal search for truth. After almost 10 years of research, I am continually fascinated by, and an ardent proponent of, evolution and its comprehensive ability to explain the diversity of life on Earth. My quest for truth through the study of evolution has only served to strengthen my faith and allowed me to experience intellectual and spiritual freedom by embracing both faith and science as integral components in my life.

Given my faith and my love of science, it should be no surprise that I have a keen interest in the creation/evolution debate currently ongoing in the United States. I believe that Intelligent Design and certain forms of Creationism threaten to undermine the scientific integrity of science classrooms across the country, while also marginalizing and sabotaging religious faith. I am particularly interested in making science and the scientific method accessible, comprehensible, and nonthreatening to faith-based groups in an effort to preserve scientific integrity and reconcile the fact of evolution with the choice to have faith in the supernatural.

I am profoundly interested in the relationship between science and faith. It is one of my favorite discussion points, so please feel free to email me with your thoughts or comments. I truly enjoy civil discussion and hearing different points of view.

Ken Miller and Francis Collins are excellent scientists and scholars that present compelling cases regarding the compatibility of science and faith. I highly recommend their work to anyone exploring this topic.

Organizations I Support

Team Zachary raises funds for Lymphoma research through the University of Nebraska Medical Center in memory of my best friend Zach May.